Demps elected not to trade superstar Anthony Davis at the Feb. 7 deadline despite Davis’ public trade request, which dominated the league’s news cycle over the past week.

According to Wojnarowski, the Pelicans’ ownership was furious after Davis exited Thursday night’s game with a shoulder injury.

The team wanted to sit Davis for the rest of the season, so as to make sure he stayed healthy and they could re-engage in trade negotiations after the season, once the Boston Celtics would be eligible to acquire Davis without giving up Kyrie Irving. However, ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the team feared that the NBA would fine them the maximum $100,000 for every game that they kept Davis sidelined.